Back in the ’50s, more than 30 percent of American workers were in a union. Today, that number has dropped to around only 10 percent — a record low for the US.

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2023, Visual Capitalist ranked the American industries with the highest union membership rates. They also included the actual number of union members per industry, and the average weekly wage for union and non-union employees.

Local government has the highest share of union members, with almost 40 percent of employees in a union. Following behind are state government (29 percent) and federal government (25 percent) employees.

In eight of the top 10 sectors, union members out-earn non-union employees. The most stark pay disparity is seen in the film and sound industry, where union members earn an average of almost $1,000 more per week than their non-union counterparts.

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Via Visual Capitalist.

[Image credit: Eden, Janine and Jim / Creative Commons]